Washington: Bill Proposes to Sell Pot Through State Liquor Stores

State Rep. Mary Lou Dickerson, D-Seattle, is again proposing that the state legalize marijuana and regulate it much like alcohol.

House Bill 1550, filed Tuesday, proposes that pot be sold through state liquor stores to adults aged 21 and over, and that the state Liquor Control Board issue licenses to commercial growers.

Dickerson sponsored similar legislation in the previous legislative session, but the bill was voted down in the House Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness Committee.

"We listened to the concerns of law enforcement, medical marijuana patients and others and made several important improvements" to the bill, Dickerson said in a statement. "Our new bill includes provisions for industrial hemp and allows the cultivation of cannabis for personal use, similar to home brewing and wine making."

Dickerson estimates that the measure could raise about $400 million each biennium through sales and licensing fees. The bill proposes to allocate 77 percent of revenue raised to health care and 20 percent to substance abuse and treatment.